


Fire Emblem Awakening: Changing Timelines

by crownedphoenix842



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M, Unstable Timeloops, Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Fun!, canon character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-28 13:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12607888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crownedphoenix842/pseuds/crownedphoenix842
Summary: Fire Emblem Awakening depicts a stable time loop where Lucina and the children from the past come back to save the past and are still born by their birth parents when they do.What if it didn’t?In Timeline B, the world lays in ruins. Grima has won and only faces resistance from the last remnants of the Shepherds. The only hope they have of winning is going back in time to defeat Grima before she even rises to power.In Timeline A, Robin awakens on the side of the road with no memory other than a name on her lips.This explores the differences between the two stories.





	1. Prologue: Timeline A: A Consequence of Changes

**Author's Note:**

> This story is not technically complete. I only got snippets and drabbles, some which are longer than others. I’ll try to keep it in chronological order (if I ever update this, new chapters will be labelled as such) but some snippets are pretty vague on when they happen. Since scenes will jump all over the place, there will probably be short summaries to set the scene too.  
> Please expect different chapter lengths depending on the scene(s) depicted and some confusion regarding timelines. I can't even keep them straight!

Lucina paused as she passed by a door that had been left ajar. There wasn’t anything special to the door or to what hid behind it, to Lucina’s knowledge, but she knew that tune.

She knew the rises and falls of that song. She knew the words to that song. She even knew how to sing it in multiple ways, though it had been years since she had last sung it.

But it was not a common tune in this timeline.

There could only person humming that tune. The same person who taught her it and used to use it as a kind of lullaby when she watched over the children left in her care. Lucina had been one such child and had learned the song from hearing it so often from the source.

In the horrible future, it had become something of a reminder for the lost children of Lucina’s generation. Something to remember the one who did not leave much to remember her by, even though she had been key to her father. Some of their fondest memories were of her humming that song, so it had reminded them of happier times, of the time before she had gone missing.

“ _…A voice from the past, joining yours and mine/ Adding up the layers of harmony…_ ”

Lucina had to breathe in deeply to prevent the tears that welled up in her eyes from falling. How long ago had it been since she had heard that voice sing that line? The verse that started with that line had been the one the owner of the voice had always used to comfort Lucina when she felt the effects of war—when her father and mother had been called away and when battle-cries had to be answered again and again.

Even though she had snuck into the castle to look upon her father before she made the journey west, she had to peer through the door to catch one more glimpse of her.

Quietly, so that her heavy armored shoes would not made a sound against the stone floor, she gently pushed the door a little further, making it seem like it swung on its own accord. Inside, seated in a heavily cushioned chair, Robin sat singing under her breathe as she perused a large tome before her. Her silvery hair was bound back in a braid and she wore a soft green gown even as one hand gently rubbed her rounded stomach that revealed her pregnancy. From what Lucina could tell and her own experience with her own mother and other mothers her father had lead into battle, she would have to go into confinement either in a few weeks or in a month, but no longer.

For a moment, Lucina couldn’t breathe. In her known future, Robin had never had a child, even though she had married Stahl. While she had been a favorite “aunt” to ask for help or to help tutor them, she had never had a child to nurture herself. After she went missing, there had been times that they had wished they had had someone or something more to remember her by than just the song she had taught them and the library she had left behind. Stahl that had taken that the hardest, mourning for his wife and having no child to nurture or teach their ways to.

Lucina stayed there for a few minutes, just watching her work. It wasn’t until Robin stopped and stretched that Lucina how realized how long she had lingered outside of Robin’s new royal study and how that must look if anyone were to see her. She drew back, taking care to not make a sound.

She would go find her father and her mother. She would spy on them, like she used to do as a small child, before she left.

It reminded her of everything that she was fighting for. Even the changes that her actions had wrought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: The song that Robin hums/sings and the song that Lucina says the future children learned in her memory is Melodies of Life from Final Fantasy IX. I don’t quite know why, maybe because it is my favorite Final Fantasy game, but I thought the song fit for Robin and why the future children would memorize it, even without the nostalgic factor.   
> Also note that not all of the changes to Timeline A, the altered future, are done by Lucina. Quite a bit of the changes that I’m envisioning are from the combination of Lucina and Grima’s actions. Grima accidently caused Robin to lose her memory while Lucina works to save the future by preventing certain events from happening or from fulfilling their destined course (for example, her actions to prevent Emmeryn’s death and Chrom’s injury). However, since Lucina does not know about Robin’s memory loss, she is therefore blaming herself for the changes she does see so far, the more prominent being that Chrom married Robin instead of Sumia.


	2. Meeting the Exalt: Robin, vessel for Grima

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeline B: Having made to Ylisstol, Robin tells the royal family her origins for them to pass judgement on her.

“So this is Ylisstol,” Robin muttered to herself. It was a bustling city, full of life and activity as people went about their business. The streets were busy as people stopped to shop or browse merchants’ wares. Even though she tried her best to stay near Mr. Ass and Frederick’s horse, Robin could feel herself be jostled around by the crowd. In fact, that was why the two beasts had been tied together; they could not be separated that way. As for Robin, it took Frederick and Chrom working together to prevent her from becoming separated from them.

“Stay close,” Chrom commanded with a laughing gleam in his eyes after she was almost sent into a booth when the crowd surged in that direction. “You’re not used to large crowds, are you?”

“We stayed away from large towns, much less cities,” Robin replied. She was pleased to note that Chrom knew what she meant, even if he didn’t know who “we” were or why they avoided larger civilized areas.

“That’s too bad,” Lissa commented. She was on the other side of Frederick, keeping close on his request after a pickpocket tried to make off with her wallet before they had even entered the city. “Maybe I can show you around after we meet with the exalt!”

Robin wasn’t given the chance to reply. An old man’s voice rose above the din of the city, joyfully proclaiming “Look! The exalt has come to see us!”

There was a sudden surge as people stopped shopping and moved to catch a glimpse of their ruler. Robin let out a small yelp as someone stepped on her foot but managed to stay near Mr. Ass, who grudgingly sheltered her. By the time she thought to look for the exalt, it was too late and the exalt was surrounded by the crowds wanting to see her.

“She must be very beloved by her people if this is their reaction to her coming to see them,” Robin said.

Frederick didn’t even try to hide his pleasure, though Robin wasn’t sure why. “Lady Emmeryn is a symbol of peace to the people,” he stated. “That is Ylisse’s most prized quality, especially in these trying times.”

Robin could tell that last bit was directed at her and pretended to ignore it. Lissa didn’t seem to notice but Chrom glared at Frederick when he realized that Frederick had said and how that might affect Robin.

“With Plegian soldiers poking at our borders, the people need her,” Chrom said aloud, though Robin could tell it was for her benefit and held a silent apology for her. “She is a calming presence when some might call for war.”

“All the more reason for the people to love her. Ylisse is very lucky to have her,” Robin stated with a smile. Chrom understood what she also wasn’t saying and smiled back. She had accepted what the two had said about her presumed homeland and implied that she agreed with them, something that Chrom seemed to appreciate.

Lissa swirled with pleasure, a large grin on her face and no signs that noticed the momentary tension between Frederick and Robin. The other blonde’s bright demeanor immediately cleared the air between the four of them, even though she only addressed Robin when she spoke.

“She’s also the best big sister anymore could ask for!”

“I will have to take your word—wait, what?” Robin snapped her attention toward the siblings with wide eyes. She had heard that the royal family of Ylisse were relaxed about decorum but she never imagined meeting two of them on the road. It was for that reason she had thought that the two were named after the younger royal siblings and not actually them when she had met them; she had meet people whose parents had named their children after the royal family, though most of them had the taste to name them after deceased members. However, as her mind was sent reeling by that revelation, Chrom’s bare right shoulder caught her eye and she groaned.

Few carried marks upon their bodies and even fewer carried the Brand of Naga, a blessing upon the royal Ylissian family. She should have noticed the Brand that was the opposite of her own cursed Brand.

“Please forgive me,” Robin immediately beseeched, bowing at the waist deeply towards the two royals. “I did not realize who you were. Please forgive my transgression, your Highnesses.”

“Oh, please stop!” Lissa immediately said, reaching out and tugging Robin upright again.

“Just treat us like you would anyone else,” Chrom said, a sigh in his demeanor though he didn’t actually do so. “We’ve never been ones for formalities and we never mentioned it for a reason. We’re just like other Shepherds who work to protect the people of Ylisse.”

Robin bit her lower lip to keep herself silent. It wouldn’t do to blurt her secret out in the middle of a busy street, even if everyone else was distracted from their presence.

Frederick saved her from commenting when he spoke up while looking at the sky. “We should get moving if we wish to reach the castle in a timely manner. It will be midday soon.”

Chrom looked up and hummed in agreement. A nod between the men started towards the castle that stood above the city. Lissa smiled at Robin and started pointing out things along the way to her.

Robin let the bright and cheerful girl’s commentary wash over her and smiled back when Chrom glanced back to check she was still following them.

 ~*~

“Chrom! Lissa! Welcome home,” the exalt greeted them when she saw them walking towards her. “Oh, and good day, Frederick. How fared you all?”

The first thing that Robin noticed about the exalt, Lady Emmeryn, was that she was a beautiful lady of poise and dignity wearing the robes of a sage. The smile she sent towards their group was brilliant and welcoming. Robin secretly thought her smile was like the castle: bright and somehow warming even as spring’s cool breeze gently swirled in through windows and created a crisp, refreshing atmosphere.

Chrom smiled back with a grin befitting an proud, young hothead than a prince. “Well, we shouldn’t have bandit problems to the south for a while.”

Lady Emmeryn let a smile grace her lips as she consulted a map of Ylisse. It was not the same kind of welcoming smile as when she greeted her siblings, but it was there. “Wonderful. And our people?”

“Safe as they can be,” Chrom reported easily. He then frowned and lost his proud demeanor. “But we need to watch the borders. The brigands crossed over from Plegia.”

A woman in light armor and who wore her hair in a strict, braided bun behind her head stepped forward from behind the exalt. She pressed on fist to her breast in a salute and bowed shallowly. Robin’s critical eye caught that it was not a bow of equals but a high-level commander bowing to her immediate commander. “Forgive me, my lord,” she said, drawing the Chrom’s attention to herself. “My pegasus knights should have intercepted them.”

Chrom made a gesture that both accepted and dismissed her apology. “No, Phila. Your duty was here, with the exalt.”

Lissa spoke up then, grabbing Robin’s hand and tugging her forward. “Besides, we had plenty of help! Robin was already battling bandits when she joined us!” she exclaimed with some amount of pleasure.

Robin could feel herself shrink under the exalt’s gaze. While the exalt welcomed her with her eyes, Robin could feel the unease that settled in the room as attention was brought to her and her coat’s embroidery.

“Ah, you speak of your new companion here?” Emmeryn softly said.

“Forgive me, your Grace, but I’m afraid I must speak words of caution,” Frederick swiftly cut in. “This woman helped us fight off bandits but her dress is of Plegia and she speaks with a Plegian accent. It would not be unfeasible that she is a spy or assassin sent by Plegia.”

“Frederick!” Lissa cried out in a shocked manner even as she stood her ground before Robin. Distantly, swords could be heard being readied to draw and lances removed from their holdings.

“Lissa, Frederick speaks the truth,” Robin gently put in as she stepped around the other blonde girl. “And I must confess, your Grace, I do not come without my own motives, though they are to aid your country. I have something to tell you that I wish you would pass judgment on, nonetheless.”

Emmeryn rose a hand and the weapons were returned to their resting places by her silent command. “Would you share this with me here?”

“If you were to wish it, I would do so,” Robin replied. “But I would like anyone who didn’t need to know not be here when I did. It…is not an easy thing for me to share.”

The royal siblings exchanged looks with each other before Emmeryn nodded. Phila and Frederick looked greatly uneasy by Robin’s statement and subconsciously moved closer to Emmeryn and Chrom respectively, something Robin was pleased to see.

“We will take this to the Green Room,” Emmeryn finally commanded. With that, Phila began to lead the way. Frederick spared Robin a challenging look before he followed the royal siblings, leaving Robin to follow behind them all.

Once in the room, Robin could see why Emmeryn wanted to discuss her issue there. It was a private room but with guards right outside the lone door and with windows that were set high so that they could not be easily broken into or out of but still large enough to create a well-lit and welcoming atmosphere. The room was also not called the Green Room because the walls were green but because the decorations were large potted plants, all of which were carefully chosen to create an open space but were too heavy to use as weapons. Any furniture in the room was the same, being too heavy-set to easily move and were made to withstand abuse, though cushioned for comfort.

It was a room meant for secrets and to prevent assassinations from happening.

“Please speak freely here,” Emmeryn bid once everyone was settled in the room. Phila stood at her shoulder and Robin was not surprised to see that Frederick was doing the same between Chrom and Lissa.

Robin had to take a deep breath before she she steeled her will into telling the exalt and her siblings what she had to say. Another moment and she had her thoughts gathered in such a way that she could actually tell them her important news.

“I tell you what my mother told me before she died,” Robin started. “Neither of us had much a choice, though she was a devout Grimeal believer before I was born.”

At the word “Grimeal,” the other occupants of the room tensed. Frederick’s eyes honed in on her in such a way that Robin instantly felt her hackles raise. She missed the others response as she started back at him, unwilling to back down. It wasn’t until Emmeryn demanded Frederick’s attention that their stand-still ended.

Emmeryn motioned for Robin to continue, though there was a calculating gleam in her eye.

“My mother’s union to my father was arranged by the church and they convinced her it for the betterment of everyone,” Robin continued. “She didn’t know it at the time but the Grimeal Church has spent centuries trying to revive the Fell Dragon Grima. Part of that process was to create a vessel for the Fell Dragon to inhabit.”

Robin had to pause and Chrom was the first one to speak up.

“You’re part of that linage,” he guessed. Robin was slightly relieved to note sympathy in his eyes, even as he relaxed in his seat in a deceptive manner.

“I’m not just part of that linage,” Robin admitted in reply. She drew her right glove off and winced as the complex Brand was revealed from below it. “The reason they asked for my parents’ union was not just to continue the linage. The union was meant to create the vessel they needed. This Brand proclaims that they succeeded.”

“No,” Lissa softly gasped, though Robin couldn’t begin to detect what she was denying.

“They plan to revive the Fell Dragon in the near future,” Emmeryn concluded, a strange, invisible mantle settling around her shoulders. “That is why you came to Ylisstol, isn’t it?”

Robin could not meet their eyes as she continued on. It was one thing to know that she was of Plegian blood but she could not bring herself to see their faces as they realized what role in the upcoming danger she played.

“The Grimeal Church at least seeks to,” Robin replied to Emmeryn’s questioning. “My mother’s last wish was for me to travel here and warn you of this impending doom. She loved me too much to take my life and end our line but she wished the people blessed by Naga to be warned. She never warned you herself because she was afraid of what would be decided as a result of the this.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Phila demanded as she stepped forward, her hand on her weapon. Her outcry made Robin snap her attention to her and notice the older woman’s thunderous face and white-knuckled grip on her short spear. “If we kill you here and now, there will be no vessel for the Fell Beast to reside in!”

“Hold Phila!” Emmeryn commanded. Her voice broke no room for argument or contention of her will even as her eyes never strayed from Robin. Robin couldn’t stand the emotion that she could see there and diverted her eyes elsewhere. “Your mother. You said she wished us warned but she sent you knowing that we may take your life even though she did not wish you dead? Why then did you come?”

Robin kept her eyes below their faces but she couldn’t stop herself from clutching her coat, her one of her last mementos of her mother. “She was not the only one who wished to tell you of this. And I weighed the pros and cons of coming here. There was greater good coming here and warning you, even at the risk of my life, compared to the chance of the Fell Dragon being revived without you knowing at all.”

“You are very brave,” Emmeryn complimented her. The exalt considered Robin with a critical eye. “You would place your life in our hands?”

“Yes,” Robin replied. She could feel a cool sensation and fluttering wings travel down her back before settling around her shoulders. Instead of giving into the urge to run away from the exalt and her final decision, Robin steeled herself and gripped her coat in one hand to steady herself.

“We will have to talk further,” Emmeryn decided. “but at least for now, I will pass judgment on your case. You will be watched closely but I see no point in taking your life. There has been enough pointless bloodshed between Plegia and Ylisse and I will not add to it.”

“Your Grace!” Phila and Frederick protested as soon as Emmeryn finished speaking. Both looked like they were going to speak further but quelled under the look Emmeryn sent towards them.

Chrom and Lissa, however, relaxed in their seats and shared a small smile with each other.

Robin was too busy trying to sort her thoughts out to try and figure out why the two were pleased with Emmeryn’s decree. Secretly, she hoped that it was because she was considered their friend. If they were different people and their Brands did not loom over their heads, Robin would have hoped to be a friend to them.

“I cannot imagine you would let me go after all of the information I just shared with you,” Robin finally said out loud. She would return to that line of thought when she was in private and could follow it to its conclusion.

“No, I cannot,” Emmeryn said with a look of remorse. “I’m sorry. It is not the problem of your past or intentions but what role you may play in the future. Your fate I will have to discuss with my council before I make my final decision. For now, I ask you to not wear your coat. If people realize it declares you of Plegia and why you’re here, I might not be able to help you before matters escalate.”

“I understand,” Robin said though she hated the truth. Her coat had been made by her mother and was purposely made to combat cooler climates and to keep her warm. But she could not deny the embroidery and signals at least told of her Grimeal heritage if not her national heritage in a place where such things could easily be taken as a personal declaration of war.

“She can stay with us, though. Right Emm?” Liss interjected.

“That might not be wise,” Emmeryn instantly replied without needing to think about the implications of that. Robin could not blame her. This was part of politics and that could be just as damaging as actual war.

“She can say with the Shepherds for now,” Chrom suggested. “If she stays, I would like her to train to become the Shepherds’ newest tactician. Lord Theia retired years ago and he is always saying how we need one to run as efficiently as possible.”

“A fine idea,” Emmeryn agreed. She ignored the looks Phila and Frederick had when they realized what that entailed.

“I would gladly aid Ylisse in any way I can,” Robin said with some relief. If it worked, she would be in a position to help without being seen as a threat to the country.

“Your Majesty, I must protest!” Frederick spoke up, his hands clutching the backrests of Chrom and Lissa’s seats. “There is no way for us to know that this woman speaks the truth! She is a possible risk by her own admission. You would trust her enough to allow her to place the lives of the prince and princess in her hands? And even so, you would have her direct troops against her own home country?”

“I must concur, your Grace,” Phila said with a bow. Unlike Frederick, however, she did not break her formal stance and shot a look at the other knight to do the same.

“But she—!” Chrom started to retort, standing up to face Frederick and Phila. He stopped abruptly when he saw Emmeryn motion for silence.

“Robin may stay with the Shepherds for now as a guest,” Emmeryn declared to the rest of the room. “She will not be trained or given any special allowances other than that of a guest. Chrom, if you wish to train her later as a tactician, that is your direction if she can join the Shepherds. The council and I have yet to decide what to do with the information she brought and will do so at the next council meeting. Does that suit everyone?”

Robin was quick to agree when Emmeryn glanced at her. Frederick, still obviously displeased with the turn of events, also agreed anyway. Phila was the same.

“Which leads me to another concern. Robin?” Emmeryn turned toward Robin, a sharp and calculating look in her eyes. “I do not wish your origins to be known to others. Only a select few shall know, including those here now. This is for both your safety as it is the order of Ylisstol. I’m sorry but I have to ask you not to tell anyone of your past or of your Brand.”

“Of course,” Robin agreed without having to think about it. However, that did mean she would have to think of a cover story when people asked where she was from or who she was.

“Now, Lissa. Would you show Robin around?” Emmeryn requested of her younger sister. It was a hidden dismissal of the two younger women and Robin did not care to find out why Emmeryn wanted to talk with those left in the room with her. When Lissa waved her over, Robin easily went with her and followed her with some amount of pleasure.

The exalt was at least willing to hear her out and still spare her life. While it might not be ideal, Robin could see why everyone took pride in Emmeryn and her rule.

If she was asked of it from Emmeryn, Robin would gladly lay her life down for her or her siblings, the descendants of Naga and part of the few who would trust her.


	3. Short Scene: A New Coat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeline A: Robin gets an unexpected visitor as she organizes her new rooms.

“Robin?” A knock against the front door also announced someone’s presence outside the tactician’s quarters.

“Just a minute,” Robin called out as she tried to extract herself from her new study. There had already been several bookshelves and a desk provided when she had been given the Shepherd’s old tactician’s set of rooms, which was both a blessing and a curse at the same time. From the state of things, people had been using it as a tactical center and library before the rooms had been given to her. Luckily, that meant she didn’t need to air it out but it did mean she had to reorganize the tomes already in the study if she wanted to be able to find anything.

“Sorry,” Robin instantly blurted out once she was able to open the door that opened out to the corridor. She smiled sheepishly. “I trapped myself in the study.”

Chrom blinked in surprise. He stood in the corridor with a blue bundle under one arm and a Second Seal in the other. At her statement, he tried to peer over her shoulder before catching himself and directing his attention to her.

“Hey. Emmeryn said you could use this Second Seal to change your job class,” Chrom explained when he saw Robin’s confusion. “She felt bad that she had to confiscate your belongings, even if it’s only temporary. Also, she figured that if you change classes, the Shepherds might accept you quicker too.”

“I see,” Robin neutrally agreed and accepted the Second Seal. She didn’t really want to change classes but it might be for the best in order to prevent strife between her and the other Shepherds. Her coat screamed Plegia in design and the brief history lesson Frederick had given her also warned her that any reminder to Plegia would be a bad idea.

“You don’t have to,” Chrom quickly cut in. “I got you this too. You seem pretty sensitive to the weather and I figured that there must be a reason we found you wearing such a heavy coat in late spring.”

Chrom snapped out the blue bundle to reveal a coat about the same length as her old one. It was obviously based off her old coat in design with some Ylissian flare instead of the heavy embroidery her old coat had. There were pauldrons that were fixed to the shoulder and the Shepherd’s emblem emblazed at the left breast and the back.

“Oh Chrom,” Robin breathed out as she took it from him. She couldn’t stop herself from brushing her hand over the embroidered Shepherd badge. “This is too much,” she weakly protested.

“Don’t worry about it,” Chrom insisted. “It’s the least I can do. You’ve been really accepting of our precautions and rules, even when you obviously don’t remember anything.”

Robin opened her mouth but stopped when she saw Chrom’s smirk.

“Besides, you obviously love it,” Chrom continued. “I’ll take that as a compliment and thank you all in one.”

“Oh my! Where are you manners?” Robin blushed and unconsciously clutched her new coat to her chest. “Thank you Chrom. Words cannot express my gratitude. It is as you say; I love it.”

“Good,” Chrom said with a pleased smile. “Then I’ll see you at training? It looks like you got your work cut out for you here.”

Robin laughed as the prince left, still clutching blue fabric to her chest.


	4. Short Scene: Robin and Stahl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeline B: Robin meets Stahl.

Robin weakly gasped for air, her muscles sore from the hard test Frederick had just put her through. The older man had just grunted when she returned to him, deeming her “passable.” While she was slightly annoyed that that had been the best she earned in Frederick’s eyes, she had tried her best and had even surprised him with her endurance.

“Here!” A male’s voice called out. Robin glanced over to a man in green armor holding a water gourd out to her. He continued when he saw he had her attention. “You look like you need it. I’ve never seen Frederick push a new recruit so hard.”

“Thank you,” Robin breathlessly said as she accepted the gourd. It was full of clear, cool water and she fought not to gulp it all down. She passed it back before she drank it all.

“You should walk around and stretch,” the man told her as she took a deep breath and slowly released it, even when her body wanted more air.       

It wasn’t hard to see the wisdom of such actions. If she just flopped over, her muscles would likely seize or otherwise protest later. It would be best to work out the aches now rather than suffer the consequences later. She willed her body back into action and started a slow walk.

“You must be very kind, good sir. Thank you,” Robin got out once her breath was back. “And I must thank you for your advice as well.”

“No problem,” the man replied, waving off Robin’s thanks in a friendly manner as he joined her walk. “I’m Stahl, by the way.”

“I’m Robin.”

“Oh! So you’re the new tactician!” Stahl seemed to instantly brightened at the news. “Chrom told us about you while you were being tested by Frederick. I guess that explains why he was testing you so hard.”

“Chrom is already introducing me as the new tactician? But I haven’t been formally accepted in,” Robin weakly protested. She made no comment about Frederick as she suspected she knew why.

“Well, the prince tends to seen the Shepherds pretty informally,” Stahl admitted with an easy smile. “So long as you agree and follow the Shepherd’s rules and Ylisse’s laws, there should be no problem.”

Robin had no comment to that and continued stretching out her aches.

“But you wouldn’t know that, huh? It sounded like you came from the country?”

She jumped on the chance to lead the conversation away from herself.

“Yes! I’m from a town near Plegia. How about you?”

“Ouch, that’s rough. I can see why you wanted to join the Shepherds,” Stahl said and Robin almost felt bad for lying to him. “I’m actually live pretty close to here, just a day or two’s travel out of the capitol.”

“That must have been nice growing up,” Robin said as she consider how many people wished they lived in the nearby city, much less the capitol. “I bet your family was able to visit when they wanted to.”

“Yeah, it was nice,” Stahl mused. “Dad always tried to find something for us and it was a pleasant break from our village. Plus, I got to know the city before joining the Shepherds. Hey, I can show you around if you need a guide!”

“I will gladly take you up on that offer,” Robin said as she started stretching out her legs. She winced when she felt her muscles tighten and willed them loose. “I’m afraid I’ve never been to such a large city and I have some shopping I need to do.”

“What could you need?” Stahl asked with a slight frown. “Most provisions are provided for by the Shepherds.”

“I would like some books and a new coat,” Robin supplied. She was finally done with her stretches and took Stahl’s water gourd when he offered it again.

“Ah,” Stahl wordlessly said. “Well, depending on what you want, I can offer some good places for each. Though you might want something in the open-air markets too.”

“I didn’t realize that Ylisstol had open-air markets too,” Robin mused out loud.

That got Stahl to laugh. “It depends on the day and who decides to come. Sometimes it’s like a farmer’s market but there are some businesses that favor tents to a fixed building.”

“I see. I don’t suppose you’re free soon?” Robin asked. The sooner she got a new coat, the better. While she loved her mother’s coat, it was probably dangerous to wear it in Ylisstol, where many remembered the last war.

Stahl blinked and then smiled. He was probably a little surprised that Robin wanted to go shopping so soon since he didn’t know the reason why.

“I’m actually not busy right now so we can go now,” he offered. “I’ll meet you at the entrance?”

“Sounds like a plan. Thank you.” She sent him a big smile and then turned towards the bathing rooms.

As Robin hurried away, she didn’t see the look on Stahl’s face and the slack wonder on his face.


	5. Short Scene: Robin and Sumia (1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeline A: While the Shepherds take a short break in Ylisstol, Sumia decides to ask Robin a question.

“Robin?” A soft knock echoed through the room, though not the hard pounding some might expect in Shepherd’s barracks.

It didn’t take Robin long to find out who was knocking the door of her study. Her suite had multiple entrances, including the room that Robin liked to use as her library and office. The added benefit of that was that she could leave the door open as an unspoken invitation. Since she started that practice, a few had poked their heads in or sought to borrow a book that, for some reason or another, had been stored in the tactician’s study.

This time, Sumia stood outside of the entrance, her brown hair still damp from the bath she had taken after their morning training. She seemed nervous, not quite meeting Robin’s eyes.

“Yes?” Robin blinked. Sumia, while kind and a friendly person, seemed not to like Robin much. It was therefore a bit of a surprise to see her outside of her door.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” Sumia started. She glanced around the room, though it was something Robin expected her to do. Everyone did it the first time they came to visit her. She took it as both a compliment and a bother; the study, before she had put things away and dusted, had been a mess of paper, bound and not, and forgotten belongings.

“It’s no problem.” Robin waved away the concern. Her work had been on tactics used previously and theoretical battles that the Shepherds might face one day. “Is there something that you need? I have a few minutes.”

Sumia blushed and Robin was sure that if Chrom was to walk through the room, Sumia would trip and fall at just the sight of him. The clumsy girl only became clumsier to the point of falling when she was standing still when the prince was present.

“Well, you see…I believe I left a book here. I had forgotten about it until Maribelle asked if she could borrow it,” Sumia said with a furious blush.

“Why don’t you sit down and tell me the title,” Robin replied, motioning for her to sit down.

“Thank you. I believe the title was _Sigurd and the Ring_.” Sumia looked around as Robin started to search the bookshelves for the book in question. “Oh! I recognize those books! They were the last tactician’s notes on our formation and how effective we were in the field!”

Robin glanced over and blinked at the shelf that Sumia pointed at for her benefit. “Oh, were they? They seemed to be notes about something but I couldn’t decipher what. Since they seemed to be a set and dated, that is how I organized them.”

Sumia smiled softly. “Yes, he didn’t have the best handwriting. I’m sad to say that he retired just as I was joining the Shepherds, so I do not know much about him. Still, I’m glad his books weren’t tossed out.”

“There is still valuable information that I could use in those pages if only someone could decipher his handwriting,” Robin explained. “Now, you said you were looking for _Sigurd and the Ring_?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?” Sumia turned to see that Robin was looking at a small section of the room that was low to the ground, one that had more recent books and tomes lining the shelves. As soon as Sumia had confirmed Robin’s guess, the tactician pulled out a volume and stood back up.

“Here.” Robin passed it over with a smile. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Thank you! Maribelle will be pleased,” Sumia smiled back. She paused, however, as she went to get up and then settled back into the chair when she saw Robin’s open and questioning face.

“There is one more thing I would like to ask you,” she finally admitted.

“Please, do not be afraid to ask me anything,” the tactician encouraged.

“What are your feelings towards the prince?”

“The prince?” Robin rocked back a little. “Well, he is an excellent leader and he doesn’t take advantage of his rank. Was there something more specific you were asking about?”

Sumia heavily exhaled and fidgeted in her seat. “I noticed that you were becoming close to Chrom. There are many who would seek to use him for their own gains.”

Robin sat down across from Sumia and frowned. The look on her face said that she was considering what Sumia was saying.

“You’re very kind for looking out for Chrom,” Robin finally said. She smiled warmly. “The gods know that Chrom needs someone looking out for him. Chrom is a good man but he…can be a bit obvious to women. He is lucky to have someone like you looking out for him.”

The Pegasus Knight blushed and stammered out something out. She excused herself after that, flustered. It wasn’t until she was back in her room that she realized that Robin had never answered her question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, _Sigurd and the Ring_ is a reference to _The Völsunga Saga_. From what people have told me, this saga is part of the inspiration for _The Lord of the Rings_ by Tolkien and is a play by Wagner (which is where we get "Ride of the Valkeryies"). Also, if you’ve read _The Sleeping Beauty_ by Mercedes Lackey (which I do recommend because it is _funny_ ), Siegfried comes from this legend too. The actual legend...has levels of squick, so watch out (if I remember correctly, there are various levels of incest and other things too).


	6. Robin's Nightmare: Night Terror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeline A: Robin wakes up from a nightmare but can’t remember the dream. She goes for a midnight walk, prompting someone else to come find her.

She woke with a wordless gasp and a deep seated fear nestled in her chest. Her heart pounded in her chest, a minor concern of the half-remembered dream compared to her fear. It did not matter that she laid in her comfortable bed or that she was safe. Her fear had awoken her and ravaged her mind in a way that she thought was impossible when she was completely awake.

For a moment, she could not move. The fear paralyzed her limbs so that all she could feel was her heart beating too fast and her rapid breathing. It took her a moment to take a deep breath and the idea that she should calm herself down as the memory of her dream faded.

The terror from her dream lingered much longer than the memory of the dream itself.

The only thing that she could remember were wide blue eyes and lips that weakly spoke even as they drained of color at an alarming rate.

Even when she tried to banish the image (which didn’t succeed as well as she would have liked), she could still feel the horror that sat inside of her.

It was dark enough that she couldn’t see much in her room. For an instant, she considered trying to fall back to sleep but the thought of the darkness around her and the emotions still beating inside of her convinced her otherwise.

Robin sat up and shook her head. For some reason, the darkness that she found comforting when she fell asleep felt oppressing and dangerous. Thankfully, she didn’t need a light to grab the dressing gown and slippers that Lissa had pressed on her and, by using her sense of feel and her memory of where she had left her belongings, exit her room and the barracks.

As soon as she saw the crescent moon hanging in the sky, something quieted inside of her and the fear that had haunted her eased at the light it gently shone.

It was a little chilly outside, but she drew the dressing gown closer to herself and that was enough to keep herself warm.

The slippers quickly became wet when she walked out towards the fields surrounding the barracks and off the paths that were carefully maintained. That didn’t bother her much. She was more concerned about the uneasy feeling that still lurked in her breast rather than the minor discomfort.

The quiet and the soft light from the moon was enough to make her slowly forget what had awoken her. If she really concentrated, she could see the wide blue eyes, shock and pain hidden in them, but the emotion the image invoked was not as strong as when she first woke up.

She didn’t know how long as was out there, dressed only in her nightgown and dressing gown, but she must have been out there long enough for someone to notice. Something crunched a twig underfoot and drew her attention to them before they were close enough to talk to her.

“Robin?”

Chrom stood there, a bewildered look on his face, though he was fully dressed and had a coat to keep the chilly night air away from him. He held a taper in one hand and far behind him stood a guard. Since the man was standing away from them, Robin decided to ignore him.

“Chrom,” Robin greeted back softly. She didn’t want to wake anyone if they were light sleepers. Distantly, the image of Maribelle waking and watching them appeared in her mind but she dismissed the idea as silly. For one thing, Maribelle was back in Themis, helping her father care for affairs there with the blessing of the exalt. However, that was only a minor distraction from the man before her. “What are you doing up?” she questioned him.

“I could ask you the same,” Chrom returned easily. He drew up closer to her but gave her enough room that she didn’t feel threatened or crowded. “You scared the guard when you came out here. They think something is wrong.”

Robin didn’t know how to respond to that for a few minutes. Finally, she muttered a “I’m sorry” that was for more than Chrom probably thought.

Chrom only hummed back. He didn’t blow out the taper but he did lower it so that he could also see the moon that hung in the sky.

“Were you moon-watching?” Chrom asked after a pause.

“Yes,” Robin said. She thought about what had brought her out there before she continued. “I had a nightmare and had to get out of the barracks. When I came out here, I found the moon comforting to watch.”

The wordless agreement from Chrom was enough to show that he understood.

They stood there like that for a few more minutes.

Finally, Chrom nudged her gently. “Are you ready to head back in? It’s getting pretty chilly.”

Robin considered the question. The dream and the emotions it had invoked in her had died down to the point that she could think about going to bed again. The main reason why had not headed back in was that she had not realized that and that she actually liked looking at the moon.

“Yes,” she finally said. “I think I was just uneasy from whatever dream I had. Thank you for your concern.”

“It was nothing,” Chrom replied easily back. “Will you be able to get back okay?”

Robin nodded and bid the prince good night after he walked her back to the barrack’s doors. She tried to protest but he wouldn’t listen to her.

Maybe the dream that disturbed her so was just that: a dream that haunted her for a night.


	7. Foreseer: Split Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeline B: In which Chrom is injured, Robin goes into shock and depletes her magic, and both are told terrible news.

“ _CHROM!_ ”

If Robin was one of the noblewoman who like to flutter and look down on her, she might have frozen at the sight of the prince falling towards her, blood spirting from his back and hips. But she was an experienced mage and warrior. Her instincts took over when her mind was still processing the stimuli before her.

She didn’t catch Chrom as he fell. Her hands had to be free for what she was going to do. One hand immediately lashed out, pointing in the assailant’s direction while the other went to hover over her Arcthunder tome, pulling the prepared magic from its depths without a thought.

The bolt of lightning she sent at the prince’s assailant struck the man in the middle of of his chest before he could complete one step towards her.

Seeing no other threat, Robin collapsed to her knees. Chrom laid on the stone floor of the courtyard, his lifeblood rapidly staining the flagstones underneath him. A cold weight settled low in Robin’s chest as she stared at the prince, her shaking hands reaching out to him.

They never got there. Another assailant rushed out of the bushes, his sword raised high and his battle-cry announcing his presence long before he was in striking distance.

Robin did not have many thoughts to spare him before he joined his brethren, his cooling body far enough that it would not interfere with what she had to do.

As a Sage, she could wield magic that both healed and killed. She had chosen that role after mastering the Mage role to be an emergency secondary healer on the field, especially after that one time Lissa had been seriously injured while fighting. There had been some protests at someone like her taking the same robes that the Exalt wore for her own but Robin had never been so glad that she had not listened than that moment. The only staff that she had on her would not have otherwise been so and would likely be the only thing that could save Chrom before he bled to death.

Reaching for magic wasn’t hard, though it was strange when compared to the pathways she was used to for offensive magic. Healing magic not only shaped and channeled magic, it established a link between the healer and patient so long as the spell lasted. The staff that she held also helped in doing this so that she could heal the fallen man before her.

For brief intervals, Robin felt like she could almost see what was wrong with Chrom on many different levels and detail. She siphoned energy from the spell to direct it to where Chrom was hurt the worst until the energy of the spell was gone. The connection would end and Robin, seeing that Chrom was still not fully healed, would start again.

By the time that she was done, Robin felt dizzy, her eyes had trouble focusing on any subject that caught her attention, and her hands shook over Chrom. Exhaustion coursed through her and her staff had broken from all the magic that she had channeled through it. However, the prince still laid out on the cobblestones, sluggishly bleeding from his hips. It had taken nearly all the magic that the staff could be made to withstand to heal his grievous wounds to the point that he would not bleed to death and to heal the majority of the wound.

Robin fished out a wad of cloth that Lissa insisted she kept on her to press it against the cut still present on Chrom’s hip. The placement was awkward and strange on the curved nature of the man’s hip but she didn’t relent. She pressed down with all her remaining might once she was sure of the cloth was where it was needed to be.

Chrom protested, groaning at the pain that flared up.

The Sage did nothing, too focused on the pressure she was exerting on the wound to notice that Chrom stirred.

“Robin?” Chrom winced as he realized what the woman he had been conversing with was doing. He couldn’t see her from his positioning but he knew that she was there. “What happened?” he asked of her.

“Attacked,” Robin bit out. She tried to evenly apply pressure to the wound, but it was becoming harder as Chrom shifted under her and her own focus wavered erratically.

She was dismayed to find her hands slipping. It took a moment for her to realize that it wasn’t that her hands slipped but that Chrom had rolled over. The prince said nothing, even as he caught her face and stared deep into her eyes.

“You’ve drained yourself,” he muttered with some alarm. He winced when he felt the cut still present shoot pain up his spine and to his brain, but it was a much duller pain than he expected to be feeling. He didn’t let that stop him as he shifted his weight so he could get to the bottles that he made sure to keep safe on his person.

“Here, drink this,” Chrom instructed as he handed one of the bottles to the Sage. It wouldn’t do anything for her magic exhaustion but it might help the shock that Chrom could see clouding her eyes.

Robin didn’t argue, uncorking the bottle with ease and drinking as much as she thought she could stomach. She wasn’t very surprised when she looked down and saw that half of the curative still laid in the bottle. Holding it out to the prince, she motioned for him to finish the rest of it.

“You need it more than I do,” Robin stated as an explanation.

Chrom couldn’t deny it when he felt the potion he had kept for himself course through his system and knit the majority of the wound left close. The additional half-potion just added to that effect and also had the benefit of steadying his tactician. She still had glassy eyes and they never quite focused on anything, but her pupils were no longer blown wide with fear in their depths.

“We need to get away from here,” Robin muttered after a minute.

Chrom didn’t say anything. He struggled to his feet and found Robin tucked under his arm before he could attempt his first step.

Later, when they related the tale to the other Shepherds, neither of them could say who stumbled and who caught the other. The only thing that they knew is that one of them started to fall and the other pulled them up until they were upright. For all they knew, they both had done it for the other.

Five corridors and a secret passageway later, they were found by somber men who met them with dreaded faces and blood splashed upon their uniforms and floor.


	8. Foreseer: Aftermath--Robin's Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeline A: Robin accidently wakes the rest of the barracks when she has a night terror. This throws suspicion on her from some people.

By the time that Robin was able to fall into bed, it was late and well past moonrise. Emmeryn and Chrom had been concerned about the state of Ylisse and she had been asked to keep counsel with them as they dealt with organizing their way to the royal vacation estate. It had finally been the fact that none of them could stop yawning that finally urged Emmeryn to dismiss them all.

Before the attempt on Emmeryn’s life, Robin had planned to study tactics and history before bed. However, with the late night fighting and how things almost went wrong with only the mysterious Marth’s actions saving the royal family, she barely had the strength to find and lay out books about fighting in rough terrain and deserts. 

She changed and then went to bed, too tired to spare any thoughts about what had happened.

~*~                                                                                                         

“ _This…this is not… your fault…_ ”

_The man fell back, his cape spread out around him like some kind of shroud. His lively blue eyes were closed and his lips were white, drained of blood. The damage that had been inflicted on him did not leave a mark, leaving the impression that he was just asleep. However, the way that he was sprawled out and the crackle of electricity still twitching over her fingers said otherwise._

_She knelt down, the shock of what she must have done still swirling through her mind. Had she really done that through the red haze that had clouded her mind? She…she loved the man before her, loved him and was one of his most loyal…_

“ _Chrom? Please…wake up. I…I cannot have…please,_ ” _she begged. He did not respond._

_Gently, so that she could wake him in the manner that she learned over time so that he did not bring Falchion down upon her, she reached out and touched him. But instead of the warmth that she expected and hoped for, the quiet swirl of magic that all living beings had that every warrior and mage learned to sense, what she found was a void where Chrom’s soul had resided._

_She recoiled, pulling her hand back to herself._ “ _Oh no, no, oh gods, please no…we were so close…_ ”

_She couldn’t have done that…right?_

“ _NO! CHROM!_ ”

 ~*~

“NO! CHROM!”

Before Robin knew what was going on, there was the sound of wood being thrust onto stone. She leapt out of her bed, her hand straying just far enough to grasp the knife she kept under her pillow. It mattered not that her heart was racing in her chest or that she was not fully dressed or prepared to fight, the sound was enough to alert her that something was not right.

“Robin! Robin, are you alright?”

“Someone get a light! We need a light!”

“What is going on?”

The voices were familiar enough that Robin didn’t think about her actions as she charged through the door that separated her bedroom from her study. Inside of it and outside in the hall, she found quite a few of the Shepherds who took residence in the barracks.

“What is wrong?” Robin demanded as she stepped forward. She eyed all the people awake and tried to assess what was going on even as she tried to calm her breathing.

One of the larger shadows in the room moved so that she could see and talk with them. It was Frederick, though he looked just as imposing out of his armor and holding a lance somehow in the close quarters. Behind him, as someone lit the fireplace that kept her rooms warm, she could see Sully, Stahl, and Vaike all wielding their own preferred weapons.

“We were going to ask you that,” Frederick stated solemnly. “You were heard screaming and we all came thinking that you were being assaulted.”

Robin could feel her cheeks heating. “I’m so sorry,” she blurted out.

“Was someone attacking you?” Sully demanded. She gripped her lance like she was ready to drive it into any opponent but she also hung by the door in order to keep the weapon from accidently injuring anyone she didn’t mean to.

“No,” Robin replied. There were more lights being lit as they spoke. Sumia and Miriel appeared with lanterns and Stahl was using a few matches to help light the candles Robin kept in her study to read by. It helped to see who were investigating the screaming she couldn’t remember. It also must have made it much easier for everyone there to see her blush. “I…I believe I was dreaming.”

Frederick nodded, though Robin did catch him peering over her shoulder so that he could see into her bedroom. Once he had assured himself that she hadn’t been attacked, he stepped back and joined Sully by the door, likely for the same reason the redheaded knight didn’t venture too far from that area. When he relaxed, the rest of the Shepherds took that as a sign to relax from their alert states.

“Are you sure?” Miriel asked, her voice devoid of emotion but there was some measure of concern on her face. “What were you dreaming of that your screams could be heard down the hall?”

Robin had to think. In the chaos of her waking, she had not considered what exactly she had dreamed of. For a second, she could see a familiar face, wan and white with shock.

“Chrom,” she finally replied. “I dreamt of Chrom dying.”

There was a rustling throughout the room as the Shepherds took in that information.

“Are you sure?” Frederick demanded, his eyes piercing into her. It might have been a trick of the light, but Robin did not miss that a few of the other Shepherds wore similar looks.

She wordlessly nodded. The words that she needed to convey her feelings eluded her. She didn’t know how to tell them of the fluttering unease in her breast or of the dread that chilled the back of her neck and shoulders at the the thought of ever hurting Chrom. Luckily for her, someone noticed the feelings that must have shown themselves on her face.

“It was likely from the stress of last night’s commotion,” Miriel stated firmly with a cultivated air of knowledge. She adjusted her glasses with one hand and continued on. “Dreams are the result of many things in a person’s life and do not say anything about a person’s intentions. I suspect that the excitement from last night resulted in a disturbing dream that made sense to Robin’s unconscious mind.”

The other Shepherds considered that and Robin gave the redheaded mage a grateful smile and nod. Miriel nodded back, an acknowledgement and a dismissal at the same time.

Frederick and Sumia, however, seemed to be disturbed by this suggestion. The knight frowned in thought and consideration but it was the smaller of the two who spoke up.

“Should we be concerned that Robin dreamt of Chrom’s death?” she asked.

“No,” Miriel immediately replied. “The likelihood that Robin’s slumbering mind was just repeating the events of last night in her dreams and imagining the worst outcome is significant. I would recommend a sleeping draught if the problem persists with Robin’s cooperation.”

“Oh good,” Stahl breathed out. “That sounds like a terrible dream.”

“I’m sorry I woke you all up,” Robin cut in before anyone could discuss her dreams at length in front of her. “Thank you for rushing to my aid, even if it wasn’t needed.”

“No problem,” Sully instantly called out from the door. When Robin caught her eye, the redhead knight seemed more relieved that the conversation was ending than being able to go back to bed. “Come one guys, we have training in the morning!”

With that, she turned and left the room, carefully maneuvering so her lance didn’t hit anything on her way out. Frederick and Sumia both considered Robin and each other before they took their leave, something Robin was both grateful for and a little suspicious of.

Vaike, who had just lurked outside, pulled his head in and called out, “Glad you’re alright!” before making his way back to his bed.

“I hope you don’t have any more bad dreams tonight,” Stahl told her, a kind of serious look on his face that Robin wasn’t sure how to respond to. “It can’t be good for you to have any more.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Robin said with a smile and waved when he left. There was only one other person in the room and Robin felt herself relax at the strict presence that regarded her emotionlessly.

“Please come to me if you have need of a sleeping draught,” Miriel bid, touching her glasses again so they shone in the lit candles.

“Thank you for your offer. I hope I don’t need to take you up on it,” Robin sincerely replied. “I’ve woken up from bad dreams before but this is the first time I’ve woken others by screaming.”

Miriel made a soft noise and got that look she tended to wear when she was considering something she didn’t know. For a moment, it looked like she was going to say something but reconsidered it after casting a critical eye on Robin.

“I would gladly discuss this, but I feel it would be best to do so in the morning.” Miriel nodded to herself and didn’t let Robin say anything before she started to make her way to the door. “I wish you good dreams Robin.”

“Good night,” Robin replied, partially on reflex, even if Miriel’s farewell was a little strange.


	9. Short Scene: The Shepherds Connect More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeline A: The title says it all.

“Cordelia?”

The redhead jumped, straightening her spine in surprise. Robin blinked. She had noticed the Pegasus Knight peering around a tent and was mildly alarmed.

Robin frowned, concern blooming for her fellow Shepherd. “Is something wrong?” she questioned.

“No! No, everything is fine.” Cordelia replied with a nervous quiver in her voice. She quickly turned to face her, her spine a little too straight to be natural.

“Are you sure?” Robin leaned over to peer around the other woman. Cordelia’s face immediately blanched.

From around the tent, Robin could see Chrom and Lon’qu sparring. Due to the warm weather, both men had discarded any extraneous clothing. Apparently that included their shirts because they were wearing only loose white pants while they worked on their sword work.

“Oh, they’re sparring,” Robin commented out loud.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cordelia blush.

Robin straightened so she could look at the other woman better. She planted a fist on a hip and raised an eyebrow. “Is there something you should tell me?”

“No…?” Cordelia trailed off and tried not to meet Robin’s eyes.

“I can’t tell if you’re being truthful or if you’re just oogling one of the boys,” Robin said with a heavy exhale. She thought about what she said before continuing. “Though I can’t really blame you.”

She didn’t see the readhead’s response but her silence was rather telling.

“What?” Robin said. “I can look.”

“Ri-right,” Cordelia responded.

Robin let herself watch for a few more seconds before she slapped her hands. “Now, what should I make for dinner? What do you say to pasta or bear stew?”

“B-bear?!” Cordelia yelped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be added to in the future. As it is, it is a bit short and I acknowledge that.


	10. Short Scene: The Aftermath of Chrom Choosing Robin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeline A: Frederick and Sumia have risen to be supporters of Chrom and Robin. When Chrom is being hassled by courtiers about choosing Robin, Robin intervenes.

“Really, your Highness? That woman is the one you’ve chosen to be your wife?”

“ _Yes_! This is not up for discussion!”

Robin looked up to see a trail of men following after Chrom. The man in question was walking at a pace that few would normally match and the thunder on his face warned any from approaching him. However, that didn’t stop the men from calling questions and yelling their protests to him.

Next to her, Frederick and Sumia quieted. They had been working to inspect the castle for damage and needed repairs, something that the castle sorely needed. When Plegia had besieged Ylisstol, the castle had been their main target. After that, every able-bodied person had followed after Chrom, either to fight or to support them. While it had drastically helped the effort to save the exalt, it also meant that the damage to the castle had not been repaired. Instead, efforts had been concentrated on patch-up jobs meant to keep the elements out.

 “Oh dear,” Sumia softly said.

“It is a matter that many are invested in,” Frederick stated. “Those courtiers see his marriage as a promise of political power. They would have protested any woman but an unknown one creates complications, for them and their agendas.”

Robin almost said something, but held her tongue. It wouldn’t do for someone in that entourage to overhear her and misinterpret her words.

Instead, she strode away from Frederick and Sumia. She didn’t aim for Chrom but a path that Emmeryn had shown her. If she timed it right, she would be where Chrom, and his trailing entourage, would be in a few minutes.

“Robin? Where are you going?” Sumia called after her.

“To solve a problem,” Robin softly called back, pitching her voice so that the two Shepherds would be the only ones to hear her.

She didn’t have a chance to say anything more. Chrom had been walking at a fast clip, meaning that she would have to sprint through the passageway for part of the way.

Distantly, Robin mentally thanked Emmeryn’s spirit for having the foresight to show her such a thing when suspicion had still been heavy against her.

At the end of the passageway, she slowed down so that she wouldn’t appear out of breathe and then shook her hair out so it didn’t look like she had done anything strenuous at all. When she finally came out from around the corner, she looked as innocent and hard-working as ever.

She looked up when she heard Chrom’s heavy footsteps. With a soft smile, Robin waved at him like she didn’t expect to see him.

“Ah, Chrom! Just the person I needed to see!” She stepped closer to the exalt.

“Robin,” Chrom greeted back. That didn’t stop the tactician from noticing that he winced when he saw her and glanced back behind him. That was all she needed to see.

“I have some questions about the repairs for you but who are these people? They seem very intent on your attention.” Robin discreetly motioned towards the courtiers and didn’t miss how some of them shifted.

What did they expect? A flurry of dark magic flying at them from such a simple action? Ridiculous.

“Oh, um, they’re lords and ladies from around the land who have come for my coronation,” Chrom tried to diplomatically say. He glared over her shoulder, probably trying to resist glaring at the courtiers behind him, and then smiled at her. “I’m sure you don’t have to worry about it,” he continued.

“Then I hope they enjoy their stay,” Robin replied. She smiled and curtsied to the men and women around Chrom.

Chrom only sighed and pinched his nose. Robin wasn’t surprised at the action. How often had she seen someone in the Shepherds do that to strive off a headache?

The new ruler also tried to distract the courtiers around him. “You said that you had questions about the repairs?” he questioned.

“Your Highness,” one man demanded. He surged forward ahead of the rest so that he could face the two Shepherds. Robin noted that he was a tall man and likely around Frederick’s age. His red tunic almost matched his red face as he drew himself so that he loomed over Robin.

“I must protest this! You cannot expect us to accept her without a word! There are better choices for you,” the man continued.

“Lord Torten!” Chrom barked out. His voice broke any arguments before they could be formed. When he saw that everyone had their attention him him, he sighed and shook his head.

“I will say this one final time. The topic of who I propose to is not up for discussion. Now leave!”

Chrom almost was red in the face as the lord in front of them. The cutting motion he made also said that he was not willing to talk further on the topic.

Robin cut in before everyone could flee in fear.

“Geez, Chrom,” she said and smoothly inserted herself so that she was next to him. “Weren’t you listening when we were talking a few nights ago? You can’t just make decrees like that without explaining yourself and without hearing out some of their arguments.”

“I’ve done nothing but let them yell themselves hoarse,” Chrom complained under his breathe.

“Well then. It sounds like everyone needs a break,” Robin stated easily. She smiled at the courtiers so that they felt included too. “Why don’t everyone think of reasons for their arguments and you can discuss this later?”

“I rather we didn’t have to discuss this at all,” Chrom muttered under his breathe.

Robin turned back to him and rolled her eyes. “Of course you would think that,” she said.

It was Chrom’s turn to huff up. “It’s my life!” he protested.

“And?” Robin quirked an eyebrow and folded her arms.

“I’m not going to marry some woman for politics!” Chrom continued to protest.

Robin didn’t move. “Why?” she prompted him.

“Because that can lead to a loveless marriage!”

“And?”

“And I’ve already seen where that leads! _Ylisse_ has already had enough of that!”

That made Robin perk up.

“How do you mean?” she asked him.

Not paying attention to those around him, Chrom sighed and pinched his nose again. His voice still came out clearly from behind his hand.

“My parents didn’t love each other. After Lissa was born without the brand, they fought. Why did you think that my father started the first Plegian war?  Part of it was because of religious conflict. But the main reason? My father _didn’t want to come home_.”

Robin drew closer to him, putting one hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him. “That must have been hard,” she softly said.

Chrom looked her in the eyes, the emotional turmoil still reflected in his eyes.

“I’m _not_ going to be like him,” he vowed.

It didn’t take much to pull him into a hug. He accepted it readily and how tight his grasp was spoke for him—he was just as desperate as when he confessed his doubt of being able to honor his sister.

“From what I hear about him, you’re nothing like him,” Robin told him. He only rested his head on her shoulder without a word.

When they finally remembered that they hadn’t been in the hall alone, the courtiers had already left of their own violation.

By the end of the day, many were debating the reason for the first Pligean-Ylisse war and no one was thinking about pushing Chrom into marrying a noble woman.


	11. Short Scenes: The Shepherds and their Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeline A: Just a few snippets of the Shepherds interacting with their parents. This is before the reveal it is revealed that some of the children are not the children of the men their mothers married.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Kjelle and Lucina didn’t even look up.

“Take a deep breath and sit down,” Lucina commanded. “Everything will be fine.”

“Everything does not look like it’ll be fine!” Yarne protested, though he did park his butt down on one of the crates that littered the camp. Not only were they used to transport things and store goods, they made excellent seats and barriers without having to carry much else more.

The two girls had their heads pressed together, murmuring about something. For some reason, Yarne thought it was important that he be there when he saw them talking behind the barrier that separated Lucina’s tent so she had some level of privacy. And while they were ignoring him, he couldn’t be insulted by that because he had never taken much interest in how Lucina ran things at the castle. So long as he wasn’t asked to do too many risky things, he was happy to just let command direct him.

Finally, Lucina straightened so she could look directing at him. “We have a problem.”

Oh, that didn’t sound good.

“When we changed the timeline, we also changed our parents,” Lucina continued, heedless of the storm she unlocked in him with those words. “I can already tell that the Lucina of this timeline was born from Robin and not by my own mother. But because I let them come to conclusion that I am Robin’s daughter too, they know our parentage based off the couples of this timeline.”

“I met my mother first and revealed to her that I am her daughter, so they assume that Sir Stahl is my father,” Kjelle supplied when Yarne looked at her with startled eyes. “There isn’t much of a difference, but it is jarring to have my father think I am not his daughter and another man to claim that I am his.”

“But…Donnel is my father is this timeline,” Yarne protested. And while he had seen some of Chrom’s Shepherds making eyes at each other, not all of them had decided to marry just yet. There was still hope that Nowi and Olivia would marry their husbands from their timeline.

Lucina carefully did not meet his eyes, though her own eyes only strayed a little bit down, a little bit to one side. For most people, it was a minor tick that might annoy someone. For those used to Lucina and her royal training, that was a dead give-away that she was making a decision that she did not personally agree with but was deciding for some other factor.

“We cannot interfere with who they choose to marry,” Lucina decreed. She leaned forward so that they could hear her without risking anyone else listening in on them. They followed her cue and leaned in too. “Not without changing the story that we have been telling them. I do not like this but we need to let them think that we are their children without revealing our true parentage.”

“And our comrades who are not here yet?” Kjelle asked archly. It was not yet a challenge but it was very close.

“Let them know before they can act if you can,” Lucina replied. “This ruse cannot last forever, especially with my sister as one of the ones missing. But if we delay it…”

“Why do we even need to do this?” Yarne questioned. While he could see that Lucina and Kjelle had talked it over before including him, he still needed to know why he should stop their lost comrades from interfering with their parent’s love-lives now.

The look that crossed Lucina’s face almost made Yarne wince. He had seen it before they had traveled back in time but he had seen it more often in this timeline after she interacted with Robin or Sumia.

“There are several reasons why we should not interfere,” Lucina began. “First, they will question why we are doing so when it should not interest us. They do not suspect that there is any difference between who we know to be married and who they will marry in this timeline. Second, we cannot lose their trust. If we were to tell them now, they would question everything else we have told them. It would be better if we could tell them after we know for sure that we have their trust and that we would not lose it if we were to tell them the truth. Any doubts between us hinders our goals and how we might accomplish them.”

“You’re not telling the whole truth,” Kjelle hissed.

Lucina glared back. She stared the other girl down before she took a deep breath and continued.

“Finally, I suspect that this is my fault.”

“That cannot be,” Yarne reflexively protested. “How could this been your fault?”

“Yarne,” Kjelle quietly scolded. Once she had Yarne’s attention, she glared at him. “Hear Lucina out,” she commanded.

“I suspect this is my fault because of the changes I made when I first arrived in this timeline,” Lucina explained. “I did not think anything of it but we have changed the future just by traveling to the past.”

“How?” Yarne demanded in minor fright. If their presence was enough to change the future, they might have changed whether or not they even existed in the first place.

“The Risen attacked Father after he saved Southtown,” Lucina supplied. She waited for the other two to understand why that was important before she continued. They would know that was when Chrom had met Robin and what started his adventures, even before the war started. When they had asked their parents for stories about their adventure when they were younger, they often cited Southtown as the place that changed everything because that was where Robin first met the Shepherds.

“When they attacked, I went to save my aunt,” she continued once she saw their understanding. “During that time, I thought nothing of it, but the Risen did not become active until after my father fell. We brought the Risen with us when we came here and that has changed the future as towns and the people are besieged by Risen. Not only that but that has also affected how our parents’ generation know each other.”

“I have seen this,” Kjelle spoke up. She elaborated when she saw Yarne’s confusion at the statement. “I did not know what had changed at the time but Lucina may be right about our interference. My father was said to have been really cautious of Robin until I was born. However, he is quite agreeable with her now and offers her advice freely.”

“Exactly,” Lucina agreed. “I do not know what caused this but they changed from the people we grew up with. We cannot change anymore if we want to prevent our future from coming true. We don’t even know if the changes we’ve made already was enough to prevent our future and we risk it all if we change too much.”

Yarne thought about what Lucina was asking of him and the reasons that she had given him. A thought snuck up on him that he blurted out before he truly thought about what he was going to say.

“You don’t want to lose the relationship you have with Robin either,” he stated.

Kjelle gasped at him in shock but Lucina refused to meet his eyes.

“Yarne!” Kjelle scolded.

Yarne tried to keep his blush down. “It’s not my fault! I mean, just think about it!”

It looked like Kjelle was going to say something more but Lucina cut in before she could say anything.

“He’s right,” Lucina quietly stated with a blush across her cheeks. “Robin…she died when we were so young. She used to tutor me and now that she thinks we’re related, we’re much closer than I ever thought we would be. I don’t want to lose that. Not to mention my relationship with my father. I…I miss him.”

“And Chrom obviously loves Robin during  this future,” Yarne quietly said. He made sure to keep his voice low that the girls next to him were the only ones who could have heard what he said. “If he finds out about our parentage, we might lose their trust. And we can’t afford to lose Chrom or Robin’s trust.”

“Exactly,” Lucina agreed.

“I don’t like this but I don’t think we have much choice,” Kjelle sighed.

“I can ask nothing else,” Lucina stated with an understanding look for the other girl.

“Lucina?” A woman’s voice called over their heads before they could say anything else. It was a good distance away and sounded like Robin. “It’s time for the meeting; where are you?”

“I have to go,” Lucina told her companions before getting up to leave. She glanced back and Yarne tried to convey that he understood her request before she turned away and walked into the command tent.

“We’ll have to watch out for her,” Kjelle told him once the princess was out of earshot. Her true meaning was clear.

“We’ll keep her safe,” Yarne affirmed just as firmly.

~~*~~ 

“Chrom?”

The reply was muffled and a little weary. “Yes?”

“Are the boys still awake?”

There was a series of rustles and sounds that suggested that Chrom or his wife was moving around in their tent.

Gerome tried to keep his initial curse to himself. Next to him, Inigo clapped a hand over his own mouth to keep himself quiet, though Gerome heard a little squeak escape him.

“This is all your fault!” Gerome hissed to the other boy.

“It’s not my fault those girls wouldn’t let you leave,” Inigo tartly replied.

“I didn’t even want to go in the first place,” Gerome bemoaned to himself. With a sigh, he peered around the boxes that he and Inigo were hiding in. Chrom’s tent along with Lucina’s were in the middle of camp but also needed to be passed in order to get to their own tent. Obviously that hadn’t worked, as at least one of the royal family was a light enough sleeper that their presence woke them up.

“If we can just get around, they won’t even notice,” Inigo tried to reassure himself and the older boy.

“Notice what?” Another male voice spoke up, taking no pains to try and lower his voice.

Inigo and Gerome jumped and swirled to see Morgan leaning over some of the supplies that they were hiding in to see them, dressed only in an over-robe and his pajamas. He held a taper up to see them and did not seem to realize what was going on.

“Shh!” Inigo quickly shushed him and then tried to pull him down so that he would be hiding with them. Morgan dodged the grab and seemed amused by the older boy’s antics.

“Are you just coming from town?” Morgan asked. “Gerome, you look like you’ve been in battle!”

Inigo groaned. Then someone exited the commander’s tent.

“Shit,” he cursed under his breath as he saw the older man instantly making his way towards them.

“What are you boys doing up so late?” Chrom asked them as he blearily eyed them. He was obviously not pleased with having to come and see what the commotion was.

“I needed the privy,” Morgan replied with a little bit of a blush gracing his cheeks. “When I came out of my tent, Gerome and Inigo were already here.”

Chrom looked at his step-son with some kind of understanding before waving him in the direction of the privy. “Go. But your mother will not be pleased if she finds out you’ve been studying late into the night again.”

Morgan nervously laughed, not even trying to hide that Chrom was right about his studying habits. He walked off and took his taper with him, a small ditty hummed under his breath. Chrom only sighed and didn’t ask the boy to quiet down; there had already been cases of the night guard accidently attacking the very people they were supposed to be guarding because they were moving through the camp and did not announce themselves in some way that the sentries could identify.

“Now about you two,” Chrom tried to sternly say. It was kind of ruined when his jaw broke into a large yawn afterwards. For a second, he seemed to consider the two and the state of their clothing. Finally, he sighed.

“Just go back to your tents. I’ll deal with you in the morning with your parents,” Chrom finally decided. He turned and walked away, yawning once more into his hand.

Gerome winced behind his mask and looked over to Inigo. He did not want his father to know and not only because he did not want to form bonds with the people of this time. Even though he was a married man, Gregor was not shy about congratulating other men’s dating habits. His father was more likely to congratulate him than to lecture him but that didn’t change the fact he didn’t actually want to deal with his father.

Inigo also shared a pained look with him. Unlike him, his father did not think he was his father. His true father was having tea with Brady and Maribelle while Vaike thought Inigo was his offspring. And Vaike would be like Gregor, only even more exultant.

“Let’s just go back,” Gerome sighed and stood up in order to go to the tent he shared with the other boy. “Maybe Chrom will forget and our ‘fathers’ won’t get involved.”

“I don’t know,” Ingio replied. “I don’t want my mother to know either and I think Chreche would be worse than Gregor.”

“Not if I blame it on you,” Gerome stated back with some heat. He took no pains to hide his presence as he quickly made his way back to his cot and did not pause for a second for Inigo.

Hopefully, everyone would forget this in the morning.

 ~*~

They didn’t.


	12. Short Scene: The Shepherds and their Children (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeline A: More scenes, including another of Robin’s night terrors.

“It’s strange,” Nah commented one night out loud to Morgan. He was supposed to cook dinner and she was helping him prepare vegetables for a stew. It was the most anyone would allow her to do; she knew she was…an interesting chef. Nowhere as bad as Sully or Kjelle (it was a good thing Frederick and Stahl could cook or the two would have likely died of food poisoning by now), but Manaketes had a different sense of taste and preferred a more…metallic flavor.

“Hmm?” Morgan wordlessly questioned. He was busy dicing meat and eyeing the cook pot in a way that made others worry.

“Have you noticed that the older Shepherds act differently around Chrom?” she asked. She was concentrating on a large carrot and didn’t notice Morgan pausing to look at her.

“Oh?” He said with a flat tone. “Like how Lucina is always watching him? Or how Sumia trips around him and Frederick more? And that Mother is always telling Shepherds to worry about themselves and not about Chrom when she steps out of the war tent?”

“Yes!” Nah smiled, pleased that someone noticed how the older Shepherds acted around their leader. “It’s a little strange how much they are always worried about Chrom. Even Gregor and Lady Say’ri are protective of him.”

Morgan hummed in a noncommittal manner. “Like how Kjelle only respects her parents and the royal family? Or that Gerome and Gregor almost killed themselves protecting Chrom last week? And that Noire’s last rage attack was because someone attacked Lucina under her watch?” he continued.

It was Nah’s turn to pause. She stared at Morgan. After a moment, she winced and nodded. “I…didn’t realize that.”

“It took me to realize it, but it makes sense,” Morgan said as he started adding ingredients to the pot.  “Mother gave me the final hint. It’s our bonds and who we’ve given our loyalty to. When those people are in danger, they’re who we run to protect first.”

“And who we’ve given our loyalty to is…”

“For the first generation, it’s Chrom and Robin. Most of your comrades, however, is to Lucina, who loves and respects my parents. That in turn means that they are also loyal to them.”

“Oh,” Nah said. “Good point. Hmm…Morgan?”

Moran looked up, one hand holding a large spoon. The stew wasn’t boiling but it looked like it was almost ready for some vegetables.

She held up a tuber. “How many do you think we need?”

~~*~~

Robin gasped breathlessly where she laid. Terror seized her heart and fright froze her mind and limbs but only for a few moments. She quickly mentally calmed herself and her racing heart as soon as she had her breath back. After so many times, she had learned how to deal with her night terrors so she didn’t disturb her husband.

Speaking of him, he laid next her, context and blissful. Sometimes he slept with one arm around her, almost like he was trying to protect her from her own dreams, but there were other times they slept the night away just next to each other, content in their proximity.

Usually, when she awoke from her night terrors, she would seek her husband and the comfort he would easily offer her if she asked it of him. It had scared him to know he could not protect her from her own mind and frights while they slept, especially when she had been with their child. It helped that whatever had frightened her usually made her want to check on him and reassure herself that he was alright.

This time, the fear that sat in her breast and urged her up was not seeking her beloved spouse but someone else, though just as precious.

The camp was quiet and didn’t stir too much when she stepped out of Chrom’s tent. Some of the sentries noticed that she had gotten out of the tent but they were used to her wondering around late at night. There had been too many nights when she or Chrom could not sleep.

She didn’t try to be too quiet, just cautious enough not to accidently waken any of the other Shepherds.

Where she wanted to be wasn’t far either. It was just a few tents away and notably plain compared to some of the other tents and the decorations that people used to mark their tents from the other ones used in camp (a useful aid late at night and when people came back after needing the privy).

She slipped in without a word and smiled.

Inside, sleeping on the cot, was a young woman with her husband’s hair color spread out on the pillow beneath her head. The only sound from her was her breathing, which was speeding up as her brow furrowed. Her sword laid next to her, ready to defend her in reality but not in her dreams.

Robin stepped forward so that she could kneel down next to her daughter from the future. She let her instincts guide her and her hand started stroking the hair that would always remind Robin of Chrom and his noble nature, which their daughter must have inherited.

When Lucina’s brow didn’t relax, Robin started to hum. She remembered the young woman’s hesitant requests for her to sing or hum the song she knew since she had awoken in that field. Sometimes Robin would hum it just for her.

(Robin knew that Chrom didn’t mind it when she did that. He knew that she liked to use the song as a lullaby for their infant daughter and had taught it to the nursemaid when Lucina became fussy when no one sang it for her as she was being lulled to sleep. In his eye, this was time for mother and daughter to reconnect with each other and as a natural way to comfort their daughter.)

Just as Robin thought, Lucina’s brow smoothed and she sighed in her sleep. Robin didn’t stop, finding some kind of comfort in her actions for her daughter.

Unbidden, an image from her dream came back to her. It had been the reason why she had sought out Lucina instead of Chrom like she usually did. Her dream had involved Lucina fighting endless undead and the terror of her daughter faltering in the wake of so many forces.

If that was the truth of the future, Robin would do _anything_ to prevent such horror from touching her loved ones.

Just like every time she woke and wondered away from her bed after a night terror, she lost track of time doing whatever it was that calmed her back down. Sometimes it was reading and other times it was to gaze at the moon. More and more often it was to listen to her husband’s breathing and heartbeat while he slept. This time, it was stroking her grown daughter’s hair and prevent her own nightmares.

“Robin?” Chrom’s voice was quiet and barely heard over Robin’s song. He eased himself into the tent holding with the rest of his family. “Did you have another night terror?”

“Yes,” Robin softly said, smiling for her husband when he hugged her from behind. “I dreamt of Lucina this time and had to check that she was alright before I went to sleep again.”

Chrom said nothing. He remembered the month after Lucina was born. Not only did Lucina want her mother in the middle of the night to nurse, Robin often awoke with unimaginable fear for their child.

For a little while, neither of them said anything.

“We should go before she wakes to find us here,” Chrom finally said when he found himself started to fall asleep around his wife. “I will never be able to get up again if we stay the night here.”

Robin hummed, a content and humorous consideration of Chrom’s complaint. However, she also stopped stroking Lucina’s hair and slowly got up. The fear that had awoken her, a similar fear that had her running to the nursery in the castle after Lucina’s birth, had finally diminished to the level that she knew to be manageable. Her fear would never completely die down but was it not a parent’s job to worry about their children?

Chrom rose with a quiet and obviously theatrical groan.

It got the desired result when Robin giggled and helped her husband out of the tent. They would return to their tent and hopefully sleep the rest of the night away.


	13. Wings of Justice: Cynthia Reveals the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timeline A: It takes a while but Chrom and the rest of the Shepherds come across Sumia’s daughter. This takes place towards the end of the game, probably towards the end of the war in Valm.

“Cynthia?” Lucina paused, gazing intensely at the girl before her. It certainly looked like her sister but Lucina did not expect to see her with these rouges.

“Lucy?” The blue-haired girl gasped. For an instant, surprised changed her features before quickly melting into joy. “Lucy!”

That was the only warning Lucina had before Cynthia leapt off her pegasus. Lucina caught her easily, though they both fell since she had forgotten to take their armor into account when she caught her sister.

“I’m glad you’re alright,” Lucina wheezed out, her breathe driven from her. “But what are you doing? Why are you raising your blade against us with these men?”

“’Against you?’ What do you mean?” Cynthia asked. She took a moment to think about what Lucina had said before looking around. Nearby, protecting their eastern flank, was Owain and Kjelle. On their western side, a young boy in a tactician’s coat wielded a tome while Inigo watched his back. Further back, a man fought, his blue tinted hair catching the sun the same way that her own hair did.

Cynthia gasped again, the joy that she felt flooding her being. She gleefully bounced (ignoring her sister’s weak “Please get off!”) and dashed off, leaving Lucina by herself so that she could greet their father herself. With a whicker, her pegasus followed her.

Lucina sighed, rolling herself up and glared at her sister’s back. Kjelle glanced her way as she allowed Owain to take the lead and silently inquired if everything was alright. In response, Lucina rolled her eyes and smiled back to reassure the Knight. Luckily, she had met with Cynthia during a lull in the fighting so they didn’t have to worry too much about more enemies than they could handle at the moment.

Though, because of the lull, she could hear her sister’s enthusiastic greeting for their father.

With some growing concern, she glanced towards Robin. She was signaling Kellum and Laurent on the other side of the battlefield. Thaja and Virion stood nearby, keeping an eye for danger for themselves, Robin, and their allies fighting. They technically were not part of the engagement but that hadn’t stopped some people from attacking Ylisse’s renown tactician when she wasn’t directly engaging them before.

Thaja must have noticed her gaze because she pointed out Lucina’s position to Robin. Robin nodded before catching Lucina’s eyes. There was a mix of pride, concern, and encouragement meant for her before the older woman’s eyes took in her surroundings and everyone’s position.

It didn’t take long before Robin started signaling her to support Owain and Kjelle as needed. Lucina nodded to show her understanding before wincing as her father’s voice reached her.

“Wait, another child?!”

Oh, this was not going to end well.

 ~*~

“Mother!”

Lucina winced again even as she watched her sister charge towards their mother. Sumia was obviously surprised, casting bewildered looks towards Chrom and Robin. At Cynthia’s cry, a look of betrayal touched Robin’s face before she managed to hide it with a mask of neutral interest.

“’Mother?’” Sumia questioned, even as she reached out to Cynthia when she wobbled on her feet. “I’m sorry but I’m afraid you have the wrong person. I have no children.”

“Oh, but Mother, I’m from the future!” Cynthia gleefully told her. “Oh, I’m so happy! I thought I’d never see you again!”

“But…you said you were Chrom’s daughter. I would never betray my husband or my friends like that,” Sumia protested. Her own hands were fidgeting with the band on her own hand even as her husband cautiously approached.

And silently, away from the commotion that was slowly escalating, Lucina mourned the pretty lies she had told her parents and their comrades. Her father was going to hate her for this, not to mention Robin’s reaction.

“But I am your daughter! See? I have your wedding ring!”

Sumia and many others around her leaned forward to gaze at the band of metal Cynthia proudly held out. However, she did not get the reaction she had hoped for. Lissa was the first one to frown and say what the others were starting to notice.

“Hey, that’s Robin’s ring! The one our parents made for Chrom’s wife!”

With that, everyone turned to Chrom and Robin, judging to see their reactions. However, to Lucina’s dismay, they were not looking at Cynthia and her ring but Lucina.

“Lucina?” Robin asked, her eyes gentle as she gazed at her. For a fleeting moment, Lucina thought about lying or doing something so she wouldn’t have to give up the chance that Robin would never look at her like that again. But Robin’s quiet acceptance and her father’s equally silent inquiry was enough to stop her. While she sincerely wished to keep the relationship she had developed with Robin, she also owed them the truth, not to mention her own relationship with her true mother.

“I’m so sorry,” was all she could say to the woman who had always been family, though they had no blood relations. “I didn’t ever mean for this to happen.”

“I understand,” Robin said, easily accepting that whatever Lucina had to say before she even said it. She wore a weak smile that somehow rang false. Even so, Lucina couldn’t help but notice how Chrom interlaces his fingers with hers, like he knew and agreed with her while offering her his support.

Robin continued after a glance to her husband. “I thought there was something strange about your comrades from the future and their reaction to our marriage, but I thought it best to let you have the time you needed before asking you what was wrong.”

That was enough for everyone else to pay attention to her without saying a word. Lucina felt her shoulders squaring in response, some innate need to be stronger than she felt. While it didn’t quiet her nerves, it gave her the will to continue on once she began.

“In our doomed future, it was not Robin who my father choose to marry. It was Sumia of the Rhea House who he proposed to and who gave birth to my sister and I. Cynthia tells the truth.”

“But why hide the truth?” Father finally spoke up, not letting go of Robin’s hand. He did step forward so that he could be easily seen and at the same time hide Robin from any ridicule, likely for the same reason that Lucina found herself squaring her shoulders. “You could have told us were not Robin’s daughter and Sumia’s many times since you joined forces with us.”

“Chrom,” Robin softly protested. It wasn’t very loud but it caught everyone’s attention anyway. “It wasn’t her fault. We assumed that she was our daughter without asking her. Obviously, since she came here two years ago, things have changed from the future she knew.”

The look on her father’s face was one that Lucina knew meant that he was thinking about what Robin had said. Even in her future, he had worn that look when Robin had said something perfectly reasonable but it wasn’t something he wanted to accept. Just like he used to, he sighed, shook his head, and stood in a commanding way that demanded attention.

“You’re right,” he finally said. “We do not know when any of our actions may change the future, even though we fight to stop that future from happening. Maybe this is a sign that things are changing for the better!”

“That is what I hope,” Lucina said, agreeing with what her father said. “I am sorry for not telling you this before.”

“It’s not your fault,” Robin softly said, though there was some kind of sadness that Lucina regretted. It had never been her intention to inflict this kind of pain on her parents or their best friend in the future she knew.

Sumia also spoke up, smiling softly at Cynthia. “It seems that you were right. You are my daughter from the future. I look forward to getting to know you.”

There was a kind of mischievous gleam in Sumia’s eye that Lucina knew spelled trouble for her. Sumia continued with a meaningful look towards Lucina. “Both daughters. We will have to make time to spend together.”

“Of course,” Lucina weakly agreed even as her sister cheered loudly enough for both of them. A glance over to Robin and Chrom meant that she saw the unease that was starting to create a rift between the two.

She had never meant for any of this to happen. How did it go so badly so quickly?


End file.
